The Hunan Fishing Administration Authority recently sent a team of aquatic experts to the Eastern Dongting Lake for an investigation to choose appropriate waters for the ex-situ conservation of local finless porpoises.
The experts designated the 800-hectare Caisang Lake (Junshan District of Yueyang City) and the 1000-hectare Zhongzhou Fishery in Yueyang County as two satisfactory relocation sites for these endangered animals.
The ex-situ conservation move will be carried out by the Hunan Provincial Animal Husbandry and Aquatic Products Bureau in collaboration with the Yueyang Municipal People’s Government. The bureau has earmarked 2 million yuan for preliminary work, which includes the recent site survey. Yueyang City has set up a finless porpoise protection organization and has confirmed that conservation expenditure will be included in the municipal government budget next year. The municipal government has promised to pay due attention to the ex-situ conservation and in-situ conservation of this aquatic animal, especially in the implementing of upcoming tourism projects, wetland protection initiatives, and the construction of the Dongting Lake Eco Museum.
Guo Yan